Southborough selectmen appoint new police officer

Thursday

Jul 17, 2014 at 6:00 AM

By Ann KendaDaily News Correspondent

SOUTHBOROUGH Ė After interviewing two finalists for police officer, selectmen Tuesday night appointed Patrick Smith of Medford as the 16th and newest member of the department.The†unanimous vote came after the board questioned Smith†and candidate William Recos of Barre. Police Chief Ken Paulhus recommended Smith."If we had two openings, that would be great," said†Paulhus.He said†both candidates were excellent but†chose†Smith after giving it a lot of thought. All five selectmen agreed. They also remarked†that they had wished there was a second position to offer to Recos.Police officials said 63 candidates applied for the position, which was narrowed down to 24 and then to seven candidates who interviewed before three sergeants.†Smith of Medford and†Recos of Barre, stood out as finalists.Smith, who works for the UMass Boston Police Department, said he comes from a police family and always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, father and uncles into law enforcement. He said he is 24 years old and already planning to move to Southborough with his girlfriend of five years.Smith, who fired off the square miles, population information and major roads when asked what he knows about Southborough, said he is particularly suited to work in a smaller community."Youíre able to get to know more people, and can help them individually. If they have a problem in their neighborhood, I can help them with that," he said in response to a question about how he would make a difference in a community thatís not generally known for crime. "Iím a very approachable person."Despite being in the early stages of his career, Smith told selectmen that he has already experienced serious crime, such as when a 19-year-old woman informed him that she had just been raped in a library and he had to spring into immediate action.Recos, of the Barre Police Department, told selectmen he recently turned 30, has been married since October and serves as a wrestling coach when he's not on the job. He said he was honored and humbled to be one of two finalists.Recos said that Barre is a great place to work, but various personal and professional reasons led him to apply to Southborough, where he said he already knows several of the officers."Talking with officers from here, itís not so far off from Barre," he said, mentioning that all police officers experience the same problems. He said he responded to a fatal car accident in May, when he was first on the scene and had to make all the decisions that had to be made immediately by himself, until additional help arrived.Both candidates answered questions about how they handle the stress that comes with law enforcement and talked about their coping methods."I love the job, and I love being there," Recos said about police work. He said he's particularly interested in the problems drug and alcohol abuse, which†he believes†is where most crime starts.Smith's appointment to the Southborough Police Department is contingent upon the passage of a background check. He will be offered a Level One salary, which in Fiscal Year 2013 was approximately $43,888 per year.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.